The increased interest in electric vehicles in recent years will only lead to greater use and eventual ubiquity of such vehicles. Due to the environmental movement and the inevitable move away from fossil fuels, we may soon see fleets of electric vehicles replacing our current gasoline and diesel fuelled vehicles. However, the infrastructure to support such a sea change is, as yet, not in place.
While gasoline stations can currently be found everywhere, the same cannot be said for charging stations for electric vehicles. To remedy this situation, some have advocated for the installation of charging stations at apartment complexes, government buildings, and other large buildings. However, this concept has a number of issues, the most glaring being the need to retrofit each potential charging station location with suitable equipment to handle the electric load suitable for a multi-car charging station.
Current electrical equipment installed in buildings are not suitable for retrofitting for such charging stations. Such equipment is not capable of providing the voltage and current required by such charging stations, especially if multiple stations are required.
From the above, there is therefore a need for electrical equipment that is suitable for use with existing electrical infrastructure and which can be used with such charging stations for electric vehicles.